Champions League preview – Panathinaikos v Rosenborg

Although it is only Matchday 1, the pressure is already Panathinaikos coach Itzhak, ahead of Tuesday’s visit of Rosenborg.

“There are only six matches in the campaign and we just cannot afford not to win home games,” Shum said.

“I do not look at the past, I look forward. On their day, my team can trouble any team.”

Panathinaikos, double winners in Greece last season, are without Romanian midfield player Lucian Sanmartean, who underwent knee surgery on Friday, and Polish international striker Emmanuel Olisadebe, due to a nagging knee injury.

“Apart from Sanmartean and Olisadebe all my players are ready,” the coach confirmed.

“It will not be easy, but we do not have any excuses – we must win,” he added.

Rosenborg have never won on Greek soil and their last visit to the Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium in 1996/97 ended in a 1-0 defeat.

But coach Ola By Rise remains optimistic of securing a result tonight.

“We are a small team from a small town in a small country and we enjoy being here,” he said.

“We have done it before and we can do it again. We hope we can take advantage of their lack of matches.”

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